'Do you support public spending cuts?' poll discussion

Former_MSE_Lawrence

Poll between 13-20 September 2010:

Do you support public spending cuts?

The govt's in the midst of planning substantial cuts to public spending, including benefits, police, and schools. It argues this is crucial to cut the state's overspending and diminish the deficit.

The counter argument is this will hit economic growth, and push us back into recession, in turn increasing the deficit.

In a deliberately stark vote – which side are you on?

- We need cuts - 6,699 votes (60 %)
- Don't cut - 4,466 votes (40 %)

This vote has now closed, but you can still click 'post reply' to discuss below. Thanks

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hugh.mqueen

If the government does not cut the deficit now then the deficit will keep increasing, the credit rating of our country will be down graded, the cost of borrowing will go up and out country will enter a downward spiral untill we end up like Greece. If we don't accept cuts then the only thing thats going to happen is there's going to be even bigger cuts in the future.

dje154

when you dont get the bins emptied and are waiting ten years for that operation tell me that cuts are a good idea stop chucking away money on foriegn aid charity begins at home

carlw

dje154 wrote: »

when you dont get the bins emptied and are waiting ten years for that operation tell me that cuts are a good idea stop chucking away money on foriegn aid charity begins at home

frontline services are not going to be cut so your comment is tosh!

All that will be cut is the waste in my opinion, cuts they should have been made much sooner. Cuts that we can afford, they may not be good news for everyone and yes there will be an increase in unemployment in the public sector, which will be more expensive in the short term. This shouldn’t be avoided just to keep people in a job. If we are wasting public money we should make cuts, and if we can close a government department that can be replaced by a private sector service so be it. The private sector will soon take up the slack, the deficit will be slashed and we will all be better off in the long run.

The cuts wont be as bad as the press report anyway, they never are. This is just scare mongering by the opposition. Lets wait and see.

Potsdamerplatz

What a ridiculous and stupid poll which doesn't reflect the whole story. Wouldn't a better way to have had 3 options:

1.) Do we need cuts?
2.) Are the cuts announced too much?
3.) Are the cuts announced just about right?

As for the guy above who said frontline services won't be cut, the police in certain areas including Strathclyde are making 1 in 4 of their staff redudant. Many of these will be civilian staff but also older policemen who will be taking their pension a few years early.

The whole country has gone to the dogs.

Gareth_Lazelle

Very difficult question, because of the emotive unasked corollary questions that will cause folks to vote against cuts (leading to very skewed results),

I'm all for cuts, Ideally we shouldn't have a deficit at all (less debt interest means we can afford more public services in the mid-term),

But how to cut? And is the current government making the right cuts? Those are tricky questions left unasked...

C_Mababejive

Yes...

If its a choice between me paying more tax and us having cuts then cut cut cut...

Also cut foreign aid/cut quangos/cut government junkets and partying

lankydave

There has to be cuts, but they have to be logical. Putting people out of work will not save the country anything. It puts more people on benefits, less money going into the HMRC in Income tax, less money spent in the local community, local shops having to shut down, therefore more people unemployed. And it goes on and on.

And front line services are being cut, but they are employing more admin to sack the nurses and police. They need to reduce the number of MPs first, as they promised.

And how did they save money scrapping NHS Direct and rebranding it 111 save money. That must have cost them several think tanks and a rip-off advertising company to promote it. By all accounts NHS Direct was working.

fordy

Cuts should be carefully applied to the benefits sector.

Start with alcoholics and drug addicts who are claiming sick benefits to avoid work. They should have all the help they need to break the cycle of addiction, but no way should that addiction be funded by benefits.

16 year olds who aren't in education or already working should be put to work in an "home guard" of sorts. National service if you want to call it that, they will be in PAID EMPLOYMENT, paying tax and NI back into the state, they won't be allowed to roam the streets causing chaos and committing crime.

If you aren't working and not REALLY trying to get a job, you will have to work in the community for your benefits.

If someone is genuinely sick and incapable they should be left as they are, not persecuted by some idiot looking to make a name for themselves.

I know its been said before and it will be said again but its simple common sense.

How many millions could be saved by doing this? All the parties have attempted this over the years with no real success. Now there is a damn good reason to do it properly and make it work. Too much money is wasted on the benefits sector when it comes to unemployment.

SomethingWitty_2

We don't *need* cuts right now. If the deficit really is as large as claimed, cuts could eventually come as the economy grows, not before. However, the economy can only grow with either increased or sustained public expenditure during a recession. The main problem right now isn't the deficit, its the recession, unemployment, and poor economic situation - much wider things in other words

This recession is a private sector recession. We need a state spending healthy amounts of money to create jobs and sustain the economy. Look at Connaught, the building firm, who are now in administration because of Govenrment cuts. All the suppliers to healthcare, schools, etc, and the people who supply those suppliers, all of whom employ people, will suffer if we cut. YOu just end up putting people out of work, and they in turn can't spend any money on anything, so everyone loses out in the long run.

Now that private sector demand is shrinking, the state should step in, with big infrastructure projects (, big capital expenditure, and a big kick start to the economy. Then, as the private sector recovers, we can start cutting slowly, when the private sector is strong enough to take up the slack.

Cutting now is the worst thing we can do. Granted, efficiency savings etc are fair enough, but "cuts" - not for me thankyou. At least, not right now.

Kilwinning_Bluenose

There is no choice, cuts have to come. There is no other way of spending at the rates Labour did for 13 years without further increasing debt, further increasing debt interest and then having to cut anyway.